Tack button



w. M, 1939.. F. G. PURINTON 2179522 TACK BUTTON Filed July 22, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 NOV. M, 1939. F. G. PURINTON TACK BUTTON Filed July 22, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 14-, 1%39 TACK BUTTON Application July 253, 1939, Serial No. 285,981

6 Claims.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in buttons, and more particularly to what is known as a tack button.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a button having insignia on its topand the button so formed that it may be properly oriented or registered in a buttonorienting and attaching machine.

The present application is a companion to the application filed by me on February 15, 3938, bearing Serial Number 190,658, for Tack buttons.

As is well known to those skilled the art, the tack button is one that is secured by driving a tack up into the button head where the prong becomes upset or deformed to thereby tightly hold the button in its attached position.

It is desirable that the buttons, when used on overall bibs, work coats, and the like, will have their insignia right side up and in readable position.

In the application above mentioned, the button was provided with an eccentric hub, so that when the button was liberated from the hopper of a button-attachin machine into a chute, the weight of the ofiset hub would cause the button to travel down the chute, with the hub foremost, to the attaching station and the insignia, bearing a definite relation to the hub, would be in its proper, readable position when the button was attached to the garment.

However, it was found that the button. might turn or twist slightly in its descent and there was and is a possibility that the reading matter would not be in the true horizontal readable position when attached.

Therefore, another object of the present invention is to provide a button having an eccentric hub and additional means on the side of the hub, such as a fiat or flats, which bears or bear a definite relation to the insignia on the cap; the eccentric hub making it possible for the button to pass through specially formed radial grooves in the hopper of the button-attaching machine in only one axial position. Means in the form of overhanging side walls of the chute bearing against the opposite flats absolutely retain the button with its insignia in a true and accurate axial position until it reaches the button-attaching station. Here the plunger will force the button head down onto the tack to thus assure that when the button is attached to the garment, the insignia will be in its proper, readable and true horizontal position.

A further object of the invention is to provide 5 button having the hub eccentrically positioned ill with respect to the button head and having the insignia bearing a definite relation to the hub, the hub having a fiat opposite the short radius and also having a fiat opposite the long radius, that is, with respect to the offset center of the 5 hub, so that after the button has passed out of one of the radial grooves in the under edge of the hopper in its proper axial position to be later attached to the goods, this position will be re tained as the button passes down the chute from the hopper to the attaching station.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a button which is capable of being automatically oriented, which button may be of the shell type or may be a solid metal button or a plastic button with an anchor embedded therein, so long as it is provided with an offset hub to assure a certain axial position as it passes from the hopper and so long as it is provided with flats on its sides or other similar means to assure that the button will retain its desired axial position as it passes down the chute to the buttonreceiving jaws at the attaching station.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a button which may be of the shell type, with an oriented cap thereon, on which cap there is the desired insignia; or the button may be of the plastic type; or a solid metal button, in which cases the insignia may be molded or impressed right in the face of the button; or caps with insignia thereon may, of course, be secured to the plastic or solid metal button. In all instances, the insignia will bear a definite relation to an offset hub, which provides for the proper orienting of the button as it passes from the hopper to the chute, while the hub will be provided with means, so that the button cannot lose its axial position after once passing into the chute and on its travel to the attaching station.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain new and novel arrangements and combination of parts, as will he hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

Referring now to the drawings showing a preferred embodiment and several modified forms,

Fig. l is a top plan view of the button shell on a greatly enlarged scale for the sake of clearness of illustration;

2 a vertical section thereof;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, showing one of the flat-ted sides of the hub;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the complete button;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section showing the assembled button attached to the bib of a garment and the prong deformed within the button head;

Fig. 6 shows the button attached in its properly oriented position on a fragmentary portion of an overall bib;

Fig. 7 is an inverted fragmentary section through one of the radial slots in the edge of the hopper;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken on the line 'l-l of Fig. 12, showing the lower part of the button cup or hopper with a button passing through one of the slots in its proper axial position;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of a plastic button having the offset hub and the insignia molded in the face of the button;

Fig. 9 is a bottom plan view thereof;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view of a somewhat similar type button but made of solid metal;

Fig. 11 is a bottom plan thereof; and

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary top plan view showing a portion of the hopper and chute or raceway that extends to the button-attaching station.

Referring now more particularly to the several views, and first to a button of the shell type, there may be seen in Fig. 2 the button shell of relatively thin metal having the body l, the outwardly flared rim 2, and the eccentrically positioned hollow hub 3, which may be perforated in its bottom, as at 4, to receive the prong 4 of the tack.

On the sides of the hub there are preferably the two flats, the one and the other 6, and as the hub is eccentrically positioned, the distance between the adjacent periphery and the flat 5 is a lesser distance than that between the flat 6 and its adjacent periphery.

These flats 5 and 6 are formed in the shell when the shell is stamped, that is, the dies are so made that the hub will be eccentrically positioned with respect to the button body and the flats will be formed at one and the same time. In this way, there is no additional step or cost for forming the flats in the shell.

It might also be mentioned here that in the former application the eccentrically positioned hub was for the purpose of unevenly distributing the weight to thus cause the button to travel down an open chute with the hub foremost. However, in the present application, the hub is offset for an entirely different purpose, to wit, to make it possible for the button to pass from the hopper in only one rotative or axial position.

Within the hub 3 is the vise or anchor 7, which may be firmly held in position by indenting the respective flats of the hub, as at 8. Over the vise (Fig. 5) may be placed the anvil 9, while rolled about the flared rim 2 may be seen the cap H], which may have any desired insignia H thereon, such as the trade-mark or brand of the manufacturer of the goods, or a fanciful design. The insignia H on the cap bears a definite relation to the flats 5 and 6 on the hub, and when the button is assembled, the cap will be oriented with respect to these flats and the offset hub.

The manner of orienting the cap with relation to the button body is not shown and forms no part of the present invention.

In Fig. '7 I have shown in an inverted position the lower edge of a hopper H of a button-orienting and attaching machine and one of a multiplicity of grooves or tangential passageways I9. The groove has the restricted portion 20 and the enlarged portion 2!, the one side wall 2! being at a shorter distance from a vertical line drawn through the center of the base of the groove than the distance from the said line to the side wall 2| In other words, the enlarged portion of the groove is offset with respect to the center of the base portion of the groove in the same manner that the hub and its flats 5 and 6 are offset with respect to the center of the button. Thus, when the button properly registers with its groove l9 in the hopper, the body and cap of the button will slide through the wide portion 2! of the groove and the hub will be free to pass through the base portion 263. However, should the button be in a semi-rotated position from that just mentioned, then the distance from the fiat 5 through the horizontal plane of the button head to the periphery of the button would be greater than the distance from the line drawn through the center of the base portion of the groove to the side wall 2! and the button will not enter the groove but will be tumbled around until it properly registers, at which time it may pass through the hopper groove l9 and into a chute l2 to the attaching station (not shown).

Referring now to Figs. '7 and 12, there is shown in Fig. 12 a fragmentary portion of the hopper or cup l! which rotates on a base plate I8, there also being shown the tangential chute l2, which extends to the button-attaching station (not shown). In Fig. '7 there may be seen the fragmentary portion of the base plate l8 and there may also be seen the radial grooves or slots l9 provided with the portion 20 that receives the hub of the button and the enlarged portion 2| before mentioned.

In Fig. 1.? there may be seen in dotted lines a plurality of the radial grooves l9, and. it will be understood that they extend around the under periphery of the entire hopper or cup.

It will also be understood that the buttons are in their inverted position when passing out of the hopper and when passing down the chute l2, but there is a complete twist in the chute, so that when the buttons arrive at the attaching station (not shown), the face of the button will be up and the hub will be in the downward position and the tack may be driven up through the cloth into the hub in the usual manner.

Thus, it will be seen that by providing special radial slots in the under edge of the hopper, which slots, in turn, have the hub-receiving portion offset with respect to the head-receiving portion, the button will be in the desired axial position when liberated from the cup to pass within the chute l2.

It will be readily seen that should the button attempt to enter the slot or groove in any other rotated or axial position from that shown, the body or face of the button would fit the enlarged portion of the slot 2!, but then the hub, being offset, would not pass through the offset restricted portion 2!] of the groove and the button, therefore, would not enter its slot but would be again tumbled until it properly registers with its groove, whereupon it will pass into the chute or raceway l2.

By forming the flats 5 and 6 on the hub and providing the overhanging walls 22 of the chute (see Fig. 12), the button will be prevented from turning or losing its oriented position during its travel to the attaching station (not shown), as these overhanging walls extend parallel with the flats on the button and in close proximity thereto. Therefore, after the button has once passed into the chute in its desired axial position, it will be retained in this position during its travel and inversion in the chute.

Thus, it will be seen that providing a button formed with an eccentric hub, which latter has flats formed on its sides, together with a cap having insignia thereon, which, in turn, has been oriented when secured to the button body, makes it possible to provide a relatively inexpensive button that may be accurately oriented in a buttonorienting and attaching machine, so that the insignia will always be in its true horizontal position when the button is attached.

It will also be seen that a button formed in this way and oriented in this manner will always be accurately oriented, which might not be true where the weight of the eccentric hub was the controlling factor, as illustrated in the companion case.

Referring now for the moment to Figs. 8 and 9, there is illustrated a manner of carrying out the invention in a plastic type of button. In this instance, the body or head 23 of the button, as well as the hub E l, is made of a plastic material, whie embedded within the hub may be seen the anchor or Vise 25 to receive and deform the tack. Insignia iltl will be molded in the button at the time the button is formed. Also there may be seen the flats and 6' formed on the opposite sides of the hub 24.

A button of this type may be oriented and retained in its oriented position as it passes through the chute in exactly the same manner that the shell type of button is oriented and attached.

In Figs. and 11, I have shown a solid metal button comprising the body portion 30 and the integral offset hub ill with its tack-receiving and deforming chamber 32, together with the flats 5" and ii on the opposite sides of the hub, and it will, of course, be understood that the insignia 33 may be impressed within the upper surface of the button at the same time the button is formed, which insignia will bear a definite relation to the offset hub and the aforementioned flats, similar to that shown in Fig. 6.

Therefore, it will be seen that by providing a button of the shell or solid type with an offset hub and with the insignia on its face bearing a definite relation to the hub, the button may be oriented or liberated from the hopper in only one axial position. Likewise, by providing a fiat or flats or other similar arrangements on the hub, the button will be retained in its desired axial position during its travel to the attaching station, so that when finally attached the insignia will be in its true horizontal, readable position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A button or the like having a top portion and a hub, insignia, on the top portion, the hub being disposed eccentrically to the top portion and in certain definite relation to the insignia for orienting purposes, and means on the side of the eccentric hub of the button by which its axial position will be controlled as it passes to the attaching station of a button-attaching machine.

2. A button or the like having a body and a hub, insignia on said body, the hub adapted to receive a fastener, flats formed on the hub, the hub being eccentrically disposed to the body and in certain definite relation to the insignia for orienting purposes, and the flats on the hub also bearing a definite relation to the insignia for retaining the button in a desired axial position as the same travels to the attaching station of a button-attaching machine.

3. A tack button comprising a body portion and a hub, insignia on the body portion, the hub being eccentrically positioned beneath the head and in certain definite relation to the insignia whereby the button will assume a certain axial position as it passes to the feed chute of a button-attaching machine, and means on the opposite sides of the hub independently of said firstmentioned means for preserving the desired axial position as the button passes to the attaching station of a button-attaching machine to thus assure a proper oriented position of the button when attached.

4. sheet metal button comprising a shell, a cap with insignia secured on said shell, the shell provided with an ofiset hub and flats on its opposite sides and the flats bearing a definite relation to the insignia on the shell, means within the shell for receiving and deforming a tack, and the offset hub with its flats making it possible to orient the button when used in a button-attaching machine.

5. A tack button comprising a shell having an integral hollow hub, means within the hub for holding the prong of a tack fastener, a cap with insignia thereon secured to said shell, the hub being offset with respect to the body of the shell and cap, fiats formed on opposite sides of the hub bearing a definite relation to the insignia on the cap, one flat being disposed on the short radius and the other flat being disposed on the long radius taken from the offset center of the hub.

6. A tack button capable of being oriented comprising a shell forming the body and hub, the hub eccentrically disposed with relation to the shell,

fiats formed on the hub, one flat being at a greater distance from the periphery of the button than the other flat, means within the hub for deforming the prong of a tack fastener, and a cap having insignia thereon and bearing a definite relation to the flats on the ofiset hub whereby the button may be properly oriented in a buttonattaching machine.

FORREST G. PURINTON. 

